Reflections of a Dream
by Alkaline
Summary: Ponderings of the Dream King while standing in his gallery.


Author's Note: This has been edited. Being a four year old piece of writing that hasn't been looked at much since, I figured it could use some fixing up. I don't own the Endless. I don't own Lucifer, and that's fine by me, and I don't own Lucien or Marvin either. They all belong to the wonderful Neil.

Reviews are welcomed, and greatly appreciated.

REFLECTIONS OF A DREAM

Dream stood in his gallery, scanning his eyes over each of his siblings' sigils. An ankh, an abstract mess of colors, a sword, a book, a heart, and a hooked ring. Each a representation of what it is each sibling controls, rules over, embodies.

_Death_, he thought, _my dearest older sister. She and Delerium seem to be the only two who speak to me willingly. Perhaps I put the others off. Perhaps I like it better this way._

_I would not want to be Death. I cannot imagine the burden she must have, when her whole existence is simply to take the life away from the living, and grant it to the unborn. But that is what she is, and what she must do. She has responsibilities, just as we all do._

_Delirium told me about responsibilities once. She also announced to us all one day, at that fateful meeting, that she knows things. Things that none of us know. Not even Destiny. But how is that possible? There is a fine line between genius and insanity, and perhaps she is just perfectly balanced on that line, like a skilled tightrope walker._

_I do enjoy when she comes to visit, although I may frighten her a bit. I do not mean to, it is simply that I can not abandon my duties to go on some sort of journey or other with her whenever she pleases, and I can not spend long hours watching her create little singing fish out of nowhere. I tend to hurry her along, though not as an insult. I simply am obliged to my duties. I suppose it is good for her that she has that dog Barnabas, whom she received as a gift from our brother Destruction. She has always been in need of a companion._

_Destruction, the Prodigal. He has much in common with the Morningstar, in that they were both able to simply lock up and leave. I wish, sometimes, to have that freedom for myself. To be able to forget my duties, for even a small amount of time, and to wander wherever I please and do whatever I feel the urge to. But I cannot. I do not have that option. I am the Dream King and I must remain loyal to my responsibilities as such. This is what I am destined to do._

_Yes, Destiny. I would not want to be him either. To know how everything will be, to know all that will come to pass until the end of the Universe, I think that would disturb and distract me. However, he is Destiny, that is what he is and what he does. He wanders his vast garden, knowing all that was, all that is, and all that will ever be. It seems quite an undesirable burden to bear._

_And then there is Desire. He...she...it...is a meddler. It enjoys playing games with the mortals, interfering with their lives and manipulating them in accordance to her twisted game. He-she also seems to enjoy playing games with me, though I will never thoroughly understand why. Perhaps it is just in her nature, as it is in the nature of desire itself, to interfere with the emotions and actions of other. Still, all of my sister-brother's actions are a favor to her twin. Desire leads to eventual Despair._

_Despair's duties seem the most thankless of all. She is the only one who never seems to derive pleasure from anything she does. Even I, when I give a pleasant dream or a well-deserved nightmare to someone, feel a bit of pleasure, though I may not always show it. Delirium seems to be quite content all the time, Desire derives much pleasure from meddling with the mortals, and Death maintains cheerful in acceptance of her duties. As for Destiny, I shall never know. Perhaps he feels some sense of pleasure by knowing all, but I will never be sure. Despair, though, seems forever...in despair, for lack of a better term. Perhaps that is simply because she is Despair, and that is what she does. Perhaps she is content to remain in her realm with her rat-friends, and perhaps she does derive some pleasure when tearing the hook of her ring into her flesh. I may never know._

_I see now that it is possible that Destruction never truly had a place amongst us. Destiny controls all. He is the eldest, because everything was destined to happen even before it was set into motion. Dreaming and Desiring can become one in the same, as I have often witnessed events in my realm of mortals who desire power or wealth, desire each other. Desire, like the rulers of Hell, would not be nearly as powerful if it's subjects were not capable of dreaming. Desire eventually leads to Despair, because, by nature, desire can never be fullfilled. Despair often brings mortals with their occasionally fragile minds into Delirium, which may lead to Death._

_Destruction has no place in this sequence. Something must be destroyed in order to start anew. It is an inevitability. It has always occured and will continue to occur until the end of time, and I believe that may be the reason Destruction left his realm. I still wish sometimes that I could have a break from my responsibilities. I would not completely abandon them as he and Lucifer did, but a short break without the stress of responsibilities would be nice. Perhaps just one day to do as I please and not have anything to worry about, as Death has one day every thousand years to spend as a mortal. But that is not possible. I know this. Even the journeys I have embarked upon as of late have not been without purpose. I fully trust that Lucien and the others could tend to the realm for a day; however there would always be a task for me to complete somewhere. My job is never finished._

A crack of thunder echoed through the Dreaming and the gray clouds opened up, pouring cool rain down on the entire realm. Morpheus took once last look at each of the sigils and turned away. He roamed the halls of his castle at the heart of the Dreaming, which had now been transported atop a mountain, and then returned to the throne room.

Somewhere outside the castle, tending to some gardening within the Dreaming, Marvin turned his pumpkin head up towards the sky and chuckled to himself.

"Down comes the rain, right on cue."


End file.
